This time, Ian has teamed up with top SIV & XC guru Sandy Jockstrap to write the new book with a preliminary title "Touching Cloth: Guiding a Complete Tosser" and is tentatively aimed at the novice XC pilot and those wishing to take their first tentative steps away from the ridge.
We tracked Ian down with plans to publish an interview alongside our book review, but he told us to "piss off". He said he'd heard all about us and wanted nothing to do with a bunch of unethical shysters who only print bullshit. He said he was a professional author and we could shove it. As you well know, it takes more than mere insults to keep a Pie journalist down, so we flew to Turkey, where "The Jockster", as he likes to be known, had never heard of us and was more than happy to sit down and talk. This was lucky really as we rapidly realised that "The Strapster" was the man we should have been speaking to all along. A true mediteranean superstar. Not some grey Brit with a baggy jumper & wellies who moves onto kites & windsurfers as soon as he's bored with our fantastic sport.
"So, Strap, how's it hangin?", we started.
"Good question, matey", he said. "Oh yeah, the book. Right. Well, Ian did all the writing really but the new publishers suggested he bring in someone with a face that's known in the industry to help sell a couple more thousand copies. So tell me, did you bring your trunks? Come on, let's have a swim".
So, back we went to the UK and begged Ian for an interview, but he wasn't having any of it. He even threatened to phone the police if we didn't leave him alone. So, apologies readers, it looks like the review will have to stand by itself.
The book itself is ok with a nice cover pic of "The Sandster" upside-down in his harness and the contents page is really well layed out. There were some more pictures somewhere in the middle with a few colour photos of "The Jock" standing up in his harness and some others shots of hills with arrows on the top of them. A couple more seemed to show some villages in valleys with funny, hand-drawn arrows shaped like chimneys, and there was one funny looking diagram of the "atmosphere", whatever that is, with a few wavy lines all over it. We've never seen these things while flying so they probably aren't that important. It most certainly discusses thermalling because Chapter 3 is titled "How to Thermal", and the XC stuff is probably in the last 2 chapters respectively titled "Landing Out" & "Dining Out", but we're not sure we never got that far.
In conclusion, it's quite a good book with a blue cover. We liked it, although it could do with more pictures, and as far as we're concerned it's a keeper. It's definitely staying on our bookshelves. Quite frankly, after the way the authors have treated us, we're damned if we're sending it back.
Pie in the Sky
Funnier than the 1968 "Neil Armstrong missing ladder" gag" videos
Funnier than the 1968 "Neil Armstrong missing ladder" gag" videos